winninguglyin83

I took the bait. couldn't believe he would come back, but then I thought maybe Kenny Williams was rolling the dice because it was Manuel who got down on Cameron for all the whiffs. Sox should have a helluva team at AA next season. maybe they can win the Southern League playoffs. THAT is in the budget

no word in cincy papers about how Jerry Manuel's interview went. But one of the Cincinnati columnist has endorsed interim manager Dave Miley the link: http://www.cincypost.com/2003/11/20/wheeler11-20-2003.html

A Row off to a, shall I say, slowwww start. In 12 games, he is 8 for 43. 3 doubles 2 dingers and 5 RBI. Hitting only .186. The good news is he has six walks against 7 whiffs for an obp of .340 with two stolen bases. Hopefully, he'll pick it up.

i'm all for Damaso as closer. but we're still going to need William and others to help out.

Amen, brother, amen.

Jerry Manuel won one title in six seasons in the WORST division in baseball. He should have won at least two, maybe three. He also failed to win a playoff game, getting his managerial arse kicked from here to Seattle by Lou Piniella in 2000. He sat there like a stuffed animal in April and May as the Sox season slipped away. He refused to believe that Billy Koch didn't have it, sending him out there game after game after game. He listened to Frank say he didn't care about his batting average and was swinging for the fences in direct contradiction to what JM said he wanted -- and DID NOTHING. Jerry Manuel might go somewhere else and win. But the clock ran out on his regime in Chicago long, long ago. CASE CLOSED!!!!!

ONe question: I don't understand the line about the Rays not being in a spot where they have to give up a draft pick. Please explain. Pick from the Rays would be valuable -- a top 10 or higher.

if you look at the Reds' pitching staff, they need to make a ton of deals to even get to mediocre

This would re-unite Gandhi with his favorite second-baseman and savvy baserunner -- the unstoppable Mr. D'Angelo Jimenez. Maybe he WON'T take the job.

flash did a solid job for the Sox last year. But he's not a $5 million reliever any more, not with his age and injury history. and I wouldn't give him multiple years. Looks like we're banking on William to turn it around. Tums, anyone?

Jerry Manuel is one of four finalists for the Cincinnati managing job. he'll be interviewed tomorrow. Here is the list: Reds interim manager Dave Miley, former Chicago White Sox manager Jerry Manuel, Tampa Bay bench coach John McLaren and Pittsburgh player development director Brian Graham. Word I get is that Miley is the front-runner because A) he did a solid job there the last two months of the season; B) he knows most of the players from the minor leagues and C) he'd be less expensive than Joltin' Jerry. But we all know JM interviews well. CorpseBall -- Not dead yet!

They'll find some middle of the pack catcher on the cheap. Brook Fordyce, Brent Mayne, Mike DeFelice, Benito Santiago

meanwhile is there any sense when the Sox are going to do something?

Bobby Kielty = White Sox killer, especially against Mark Buehrle

Sox stuck with Johnson too long. I agree. But, there are reasons. One, he was a first round draft pick. Lots of teams stick with their first round picks too long. Second, they didn't have many options. Josh Paul. Brook Fordyce. Left-handed hitting catchers are worth a longer look. As for Moneyball, if you check the book you'll discover one name is never mentioned -- Miguel Olivo. A whole chapter on the greatness of Chad Bradford, who was a good pickup (although we'll see how long the As hold him as his salary jumps next spring). But Michael Lewis never mentions that Beane gave up a solid catching prospect for him. Too soon to judge if that was such a great trade by Beane. Dude also traded for T. Long, and he's no everything he was touted to be either.

A. They couldn't be too competent because Beane WANTED Johnson in that trade because of his ability to draw walks. B) Don't think Oakland has any great catching prospects in AAA. Had that left-handed hitting dude who whiffed in the ninth inning of the Game Five playoff loss to Boston. C) Kotsay is solid, but he's no all-star. Average pop. About a .270-280 career hitter. average outfielder. He's better than Terence Long (who also whiffed in the ninth of that game), but Kotsay ain't gonna replace the pop they lose with Tejada.

Who's going to take Jose, Jose, Jose at $5 million?

I think Rauch will be a solid addition to our starting staff this year. he has excellent control. Even when Baseball America named him Minor League Player of the Year, it wasn't velocity that they touted. It was command and the ability to throw three or four pitches for strikes. That's his big edge over Danny Wright, who not only walks too many but is always behind in the count. Rauch is entering his third season since shoulder surgery so he should be completely healthy. He should be angry because the sox did not promote him. he should be worried because he has to know now is the time to step forward. Motivation and focus should not be a problem. And he should be excited because he's working with a clean slate provided by a new manager. Let's face it: With the Sox payroll situation, we're going to need at least a couple of the following guys to step forward -- Rauch, Ginter, Sanders, Stewart, Munoz, Cotts, Pacheco, Bajernu, Adkins, Bullinger or Purvis.

i'm still optimistic Ginter can contribute somehow. He's got a solid arm and has pitched well in streaks at Birmingham and Charlotte. He's never seemed to pitch with much confidence in the big leagues. Seems afraid to throw the ball over the plate. and Manuel lost confidence in him quickly. this is his last chance. hope he takes advantage.

that's correct. and the hits per innings pitched are not trending in the right direction

here you go: Yankees Shift Focus to Vazquez and Colón By JACK CURRY Published: November 14, 2003 HOENIX, Nov. 13 — The Yankees have switched their focus away from trying to acquire Curt Schilling from the Arizona Diamondbacks and are in discussions with the Montreal Expos about trying to obtain Javier Vazquez. They are also talking about pursuing the free agent Bartolo Colón. Advertisement An executive from another team said that General Manager Brian Cashman told him the Yankees planned to forgo trying to execute a trade for Schilling because the Diamondbacks were asking for too much. Even though the Diamondbacks are seeking economic flexibility by ridding themselves of Schilling's $12 million salary for next year, they also want second baseman Alfonso Soriano and first baseman Nick Johnson in exchange for Schilling and second baseman Junior Spivey. The Yankees told the Diamondbacks they would not trade their two best young players for Schilling because they feel the monetary relief they would be giving Arizona eliminates the need for them to trade equal talent. Schilling, who has a no-trade clause, has most likely helped the Yankees' negotiating strategy by telling The Philadelphia Inquirer that the only teams he would agree to go to are the Yankees and the Phillies, his former team. But Schilling's wish to return to Philadelphia could be difficult because Arizona has asked the Phillies for three starting players. So the Yankees might be the only place where the Diamondbacks could move Schilling and his salary, which is seemingly why Cashman can play hardball and offer scant talent for a pitcher who has twice won 20 games in the last three seasons. Cashman declined to comment on his pursuit of Schilling. Of course, Cashman could also be bluffing to try and get the Diamondbacks to acquiesce to his proposal since he knows the Diamondbacks want quick financial flexibility to try to make a deal for first baseman Richie Sexson of the Milwaukee Brewers. George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, is known to be enamored of Schilling because he views the powerful right-hander as a replacement for Roger Clemens, who has said he is retiring. Schilling even has a dog named Patton after George S. Patton, Steinbrenner's hero. Steinbrenner is not fond of Johnson, so he could always force a deal that includes Johnson. Cashman spoke with Omar Minaya, the Expos' general manager, on Thursday after having dinner with him Wednesday night. The 27-year-old Vazquez is 10 years younger than Schilling. Minaya expects to have the same budget he had last season, so he would most likely be seeking young, inexpensive players for Vazquez. The Yankees could offer Montreal a package of Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera and the Class AAA pitcher Jorge De Paula, but that might not be attractive enough to Minaya. Colón has already turned down a three-year, $36 million offer from the Chicago White Sox, so his agent, Mitch Frankel, is presumably looking for a richer contract. Frankel, who did not return a phone message, has had detailed discussions with the Yankees. While Colón is a talented pitcher, some team officials are concerned about his conditioning. INSIDE PITCH A day after saying there was no scenario in which he would end his retirement, ROGER CLEMENS left the door open just a crack. Signing a limited release of serigraphs at the artist LeROY NEIMAN's Upper West Side studio, Clemens said that he would at least be physical able if General Manager BRIAN CASHMAN called on him next summer. "Oh yeah, I'll throw enough to be in pitching shape," Clemens said. "I wouldn't expect them to call. It'd have to be — I wouldn't even want to speculate on that because it's just too far away. Like I said, that's why I gave it 99.9. That's what MICHAEL JORDAN did and he came back twice."

according to the New York Times, the move we all expected is becoming a move the Yankees are talking about: Bartolo in pinstripes http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/14/sports/b...all/14TRAD.html surprise, surprise

He USED to write for the Boston Globe. Then SI. Now he's strictly ESPN and Baseball America

hopes he goes to the NL myself

why would we want Piazza? One reason: Four slow right-handed hitters aren't enough. We need five.